Mini gingerbread cookie houses are fun. They are small enough to make for little projects. Irresistibly cute and easy to decorate. And they make wonderfully sweet winter gifts. Just perfect to have along side a cup of hot chocolate or devour!
And it’s hard to get much more fun or cute than these little hot chocolate mini gingerbread houses!
Mini gingerbread cookie cutter cut outs (made by Sweet Creations) made this quick and easy, but free form plans would work too. These little houses work just as well from sugar cookie dough as classic gingerbread or pumpkin spiced cookies. But this time I wanted chocolate to add along side a cup of warm hot chocolate.
These little gingerbread houses are only slightly more effort than traditional sugar cookies. And the tiny nature of them means very little decorating is needed and imperfections easily overlooked or covered. Though the fun is always seeing what everyone’s interpretation of what a little or a lot of icing and embellishments might be.
These make lovely gifts, but can also make for a fun gingerbread decorating challenge if multiples are made.
Little Hot Chocolate Gingerbread Houses
Directions
- Once the dough of your choice (or the no chill chocolate one below) has been made and chilled, roll out on a lightly floured surface until a 1/4″ thick.
- Using the floured cookie cutter, or your template, cut out houses.
- Carefully place cookies on parchment covered or silicone lined baking sheets.
- Bake at 350 degrees (unless otherwise stated in cookie recipe) for 8-12 minutes depending on dough. It’s best not to under bake as the cookies need to be firm enough to assemble.
- Once out of the oven use a sharp knife or cookie cutter to recut any edges that have baked together (while still warm and soft from the oven).
- Allow to cool completely.
- Mix up a batch of royal icing (a simple recipe can be found here).
- Put in a piping bag with a thin tip or the end cut off.
- Assemble the tiny houses and add little embellishments.
- Allow to set up undisturbed.
- Gift. Eat. Enjoy.
Chocolate Sugar Cookie
This is not an overly sweet cookie, which makes it rather ideal for additional icing or candy in decoration.
Of course this dough works well for other shapes sugar cookies or full size gingerbread houses as well!
Chocolate Sugar Cookies
Chocolate sugar cookies, that are intensely chocolatey without being overly sweet, perfect for ginger bread style cookie houses
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Softened Unsalted Butter
- 1 Cup Granulated White Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder preferably Dutch Process
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
Instructions
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Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees
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Cream butter and sugar together in a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand held mixer) until fully combined and light in colour
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With the mixer off, add in cocoa powder and mix in on low, scraping down the sides as needed
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Add in the egg and vanilla and mix until completely combined, scraping sides with spatula again as needed to evenly combine
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With the mixer turned off add in the flour and baking powder, mix on low until combined
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Work dough a few times with clean hands to ensure everything is combined and has a workable texture, either in the bowl or on a lightly floured surface (keeping in mind too much flour will muddy the chocolate surface colour if not worked into the dough)
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Roll out onto silpat or parchment to 1/8 – 1/4″ thickness
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Use Cookie cutters to cute out shapes on the cookie sheets and leave all surrounding dough in place (this will help have less distortion when baking, you could also chill the dough on the pans for 30 minutes at this stage)
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Bake in the 350 degree oven for 10 -12 minutes (when they are done they lose a little of their shine and smell intensely chocolatey)
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Remove from oven and immediately use the cookie cutters to recut the shapes, trying to follow the original lines as exactly as possible.
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Allow to cool 2 -5 minutes on the pan and then carefully separate and remove to a cooling tray to cool, using a small knife or spreader to separate any finicky edges or pieces.
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Once completely cooled, assemble with royal icing
Check out these other Sugar Cookie Houses or Gingerbread Row Houses or Giant Gingerbread Man Puzzle
A simple royal icing recipe can be found on this Sugar Cookie House post!
Looking for further gingerbread designing inspiration?! Then check out these gingerbread row houses or a giant pull-apart gingerbread man.